Kim Jong-un's new pal: Fugees rapper flies to North Korea for wrestling match

CHUFFED: Pras Michel, right, is 'exploring' around North Korea [GETTY/EPA]

The former Fugees star is travelling to North Korea to watch a wrestling match hosted by a Japansese politician and former pro wrestler.

Yet Michel, who is a friend of President Barack Obama, insisted the visit to the isolated country is only to explore.

He said: “Honestly, I don’t know if Obama knows I’m going to North Korea. He’s probably going to know – and at some point the State department is going to know – but this is not a political trip, this is just a human being going there to explore something."

His visit comes six months after NBA hall of famer Dennis Rodman shared drinks and cigars with wacky leader Kim at a basketball match.

Flamboyant Rodman and Kim are said to have met before and are thought to be good friends.

But Michel has distanced himself from any political connections.

He said: “I’m not sure what Dennis’ motives were, but he’s an athlete and basketball player and I’m an entertainer – there are two different agendas and I’m purely going there to explore."

UH-OH: Barack Obama will not be happy with Michel going to North Korea [EPA]

“I’m purely going there to explore.”

Pras Michel

The rapper, who topped the charts in the 90s with the Fugees, says he is just going for a week-long trip to discover the country and watch the wrestling as a fan – nothing more.

He added: “I like doing adventures like this – the thing is you come out of your comfort zone, especially as a Westerner.

“We take a lot of things for granted, so this is one of the things that I’d like to see for myself.”

The news comes as Kim Jong-un's banker is said to have defected to Russia with $5million (£3million) of his cash.

Yun Tae-hyong disappeared in the city of Nakhodka, in the Russian Far East, with a significant portion of Mr Kim's "revolutionary fund".

Mr Yun is thought to have applied for overseas and is expected to resist any effort to return him to North Korea.

South Korean officials are confident he may end up in the capital of Seoul with information about a number of illegal transactions made by the North Korean regime.

PALS: Kim Jong-un and Dennis Rodman at a basketball match last year [EPA]